Indian billionaire shares video of 'unequal treatment' at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja

Lalbaugcha Raja, a prominent Ganesha idol in Mumbai, is visited by more than 1.5 million devotees for 10 days during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi and while it is said to be “sarvajanik” (for the public) the way that devotes are treated there depends on their social status. Recently, several videos shared on social media show devotees being shoved and manhandled by the Lalbaugcha Raja workers, while a VIP family in front of the idol effortlessly clicked pictures and received lavish treatment.

The common people, who have to wait for up to 12 hours, sometimes more depending upon the size of the crowd, get shoved unceremoniously by security within minutes, if not a few seconds, ofseeing Lalbaugcha Rajaand bow their heads in front of the Ganpati idol once.

On the other hand, VIP families were allowed to take pictures without anyone rushing them to leave. Another viral video showeda huge crowd of devotees rushing inside the pandal when the entry was allowed only for a few minutes.

'Unequal treatment'

Harsh Goenka, a billionaire and chairman of RPG Group, recently shared a video on Xwhich showed how the devotees were treated as they rushedfor just a small glance of Lalbaugcha Raja, highlighting the "unequal treatment" at the pandal. He even stated how common people have to face such struggles and wait in extra-long queues just to get the blessings.

Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all? pic.twitter.com/kCAhpcDq25 — Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) September 12, 2024

“Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all?” questioned Goenka.

'I feel sorry'

One of the X users commented on how it is not just limited to temples but every other place. "In most places - not just temples- be it stadiums, colleges, voting lines, conferences...., there are common people, VIPs, VVIPs, VVVIPs and so on. Unfortunately, everybody wants exclusivity! But no one wants others to have exclusivity that they don't have. And so the cycle goes on. Very sad!"

Another user said, "Unfortunately haven’t taken darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja. I feel sorry for those devotees being pushed who stand in the queue for hours and hours and get a glimpse for a second whereas VIPs who break the queue get to stand there and take a selfie etc . God definitely doesn’t like this."

(With inputs from agencies)